Happy Mole Day! Here Are Some Weird Kinds of Moles
23 October 2019
In honor of #MoleDay, here are some weird moles from around the world. This post has nothing to do with chemistry.
Moles are fascinating creatures.
They're ugly cute to the highest degree and have decimated countless properties for hundreds of years thanks to their tireless burrowing and insatiable appetite. (The common mole can eat up to 50% of its body weight!). In honor of Mole day, let's take a look at some of the strangest Moles around, and hope you don't encounter any of them in your backyard any time soon.
Eastern Mole
Otherwise known as the common mole, these are the b*stards that terrorize your yard. Once again, they can eat up to 50% of their body weight and are ferocious predators with an insatiable appetite. They will eat everything from ground beef to dog food, and their natural diet includes earthworms, slugs, snails, centipedes, ants, and beetles. How nasty is that? But also, look at that little face!
▲The Hairy Tailed Mole
Don't let their size fool you, these guys are merciless killing machines. Similar in stature to the Eastern Mole, the Hairy Tailed Mole is mainly found in North America and lives primarily underground. It is a master navigator underground, and it emerges at night to eat owls, foxes, and large snakes, thus making it much more of a bada*ss than your ordinary mole.
▲The Star Nosed Mole
They look like something out of Alien, but the Star Nosed Mole is actually the smartest and most widely discussed mole out of the bunch. They are blind, with their protruding nose acting as all five senses. They can smell underwater and have been studied extensively and revered as "a gold mine for discoveries about brains and behaviors in general." It only takes 8 milliseconds upon smelling or interacting with another creature for this mole to decide if that creature is edible or not, and it has been deemed by The Guinness Book of World Records as the world's fastest forager.
▲The Broad Footed Mole
While their name may be ironic given their cute little paws, the Broad Footed Mole is one of the most stubborn moles out there. They are master diggers and tunnel deep below the surface of the earth where they live for most of their lives. They are also quick to reoccupy vacated burrows and reappear in 2 days' time. They are also some of the tiniest moles, with males getting no bigger than 18 cm.
▲The Naked Mole Rat
One of the most disgusting creatures on Planet Earth, the Naked Mole Rat is neither mole nor rat, and it would most likely survive an apocalypse. Despite the fragility of their appearance, they are primed for harsh environments and live mainly in East Africa. They are incredibly resistant to oxygen deprivation and cancer, and can survive for hours in environments with 5% oxygen. They can also survive for up to 30 minutes with no oxygen at all. If global warming catches up with us, chances are the Naked Mole Rat will be fine, as they can survive in environments with up to 80% CO2.
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